Lace attachment for flat knitting machines



July 25, 1933. K. R. I IEB ERKNECHT 1,920,087

. LACE ATTACHMENT FOR FLAT KNITTING MACHINES Filed Aug. 1, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1.

Im e tor':

July 25, 1933. K. R. LIEBERKNECHT LACE ATTACHMENT FOR FLAT KNITTING MACHINES Filed Aug. 1, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 dbtozmq S Patented July 25,1933

- UNITED STATES Parr-3 T OFFICE LACE ATTACHMENT'FOR, FLAT KNITTING MACHTNES Application filed August 1, 1930, Serial No.

- This invention relates to a device for producing open work lace clocks or overall lace patterns on a flat knitting machine. As is well known, the method of making 5 open work lace designs on flat knitting machines, consists of removing loops from certain needles at certain times and transferring the loops to an adjacent group of needles at either the right or left side. .The transferring of the loops results in the provision of holes or open spaces where the loops were removed and groups of such holes or open spaces comprise the design. 1 The particular group of needles to heme.- nipulated and the direction in which the loops are to be transferred are determined by a pattern and transferring device, which positions the transfer or lace .points over the needles from which the loops are. to be removed and after the loops are on the transfer oints, they are shifted to either right or eft a distance of one or more needles and at whichv pointthe loops are delivered by the transfer points to the receiving needles therefor.

There is considerable; difliculty on fine gauge, multi-section machines, in the registering of the lacing or transfer points with the needles the course of temperature changes. It is one of the objects of this invention to overcome this difliculty by placing a number of relatively inexpensive pattern devices at various places along the length of the machine so as-to reduce this temperature effect to a negligible amount.

Other objects of the invention include "the provision of means for making lace clocks or patterns of wide design, the provision of means to 'move the lace points directly from one operating position to another without always returning to a neutral position, thereby permitting a greater speed of operation of the lace tackle and to mount the attachments on the machine in a manner to utilize existing supporting members and conserve space.

With the above and other objects in view that will become apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel form, combination and 472,269, and in Germany February 24, 1980.

arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a fragmentary diagrammatic front elevational view of a lace attachmentfor flat knitting machines;

Figure 2v is a side elevational view with certain shafts shown in cross-section;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary top plan view 69 of the parts shown in Figure 2; and

v Figure '4 is a fragmentary erspective view showing the cam to effect the dipping operation and the adjustable stop for regulating dipping. v

It is to be understood that while but one such device may be used for a relatively short machine, two or more should be used and distributed over its length for a longer machine, in order to avoid temperature difficulties.

Referringto the drawings, the device consists of a lace attachment for flat knitting machines including a threaded spindle 1 supported by and turning in bearings 1a, fas tened to a well known front covering or narrowin machine shaft '5, which in turn is supportedia'sis usual on such machines, by the covering or narrowing machine arm 5a: and from the cam shaft a; by a system of rollers, levers and links,as is well known but not here shown in detail.

A traversing nut 7 is threaded on the spindle 1 and carries a projection engaged with the lace rod3 andis secured to said rod for 35 axially shifting the same by means of the two collars So, one positioned at each side. thereofon the lace rod. The lace rod 3 is slidably mounted in brackets 5a fastened to the shaft 5. Lace fingers 4 are fastened to the lace rod 3, each carrying a lace point. 411 that engage with any of the needles 2 within their traverse. It is of course understood that there are one or more lace fingers 4 for each needle section 2 and that each lace finger 95 may have one or more lace points 4a.

A ratchet wheel 6 is keyed to the threaded spindle 1 andis selectively engageable by the rack portions 8' or 8" carried by a forked rack link 8. The other end of the rack link Z rack portions 8 or 8 which, communicated 8 is connected to a-bell crank level pivoted on the narrowing shaft 9 of the machine, the

other end of the bell crank lever being connected by a link Qband 90 to the cam lever 10. As is well known, the narrowing shaft 9 rocks as the shaft 5 dips for lace points 4a to engage the needles 2. To permit dipping of the narrowing machine with either rack portion 8 or 8 engaged with the ratchet wheel 6, without any rotation of the spindle 1 due to the difierent arcs described by the ratchet wheel 6 and rack portions 8'- and 8", as they swing about the shafflh one end of each of the links 9?) and 90 is pivotally connected to the cross head 9f sliding in brackets 9g fastened to the shaft 9. As a result of this arrangement, as the narrowing machine dips, toggle linkage of 9b and 9c is straightened out and the long end of 9a moved forwardly, motion of which is communicated to the rack fork 8 whichresults in engagement between the ratchet wheel 6 and the rack portion 8 or 8 of the fork which remains unchanged during vertical movement of the shaft 5. The cam lever 10 is pivoted on the stud 100. that is fixed to the machine frame and carries a roller 10?) which is held against the cam 11 bymeans of the tensioned spring 100. The peripheral edge of the cam 11 is provided with a recess 11' and said cam is mounted on the shaft 00'.

As the cam rotates, the spring 100 pulls the roller 10b'into the recess 11, thereby efl'ecting maximum downward movement-of the through the ratchet wheel 6 to the spindle .1 provides for a maximum. traverse of lace points 4w over a definite and predetermined number of needles.

Beneath the cam lever 10, there is positioned a swinging stepped stop 12 pivoted on -the stud 12a carried by the machine frame.

The purpose of this stepped stop 12-is to limit the downward pull of the cam lever 10 by the spring 100 as the roller 10b leaves the high point of the cam 11. The particular step of the stop 12 to be engaged by the cam.

lever 10 is determinedfirom a pattern chain that carries a row of buttons of various heights engaged with the stepped stop 12 by means or the connecting rod 13. The difference in height from one step to the next, when transferred through the mechanism shown, efiec't a shift of point from one needle to the next.

?ivotally connected to the leg portion of the forked rack 8 is a link 14 that is also pivotally connected at its other end to the cam lever 15, pivoted on stud 15a fixed to the machine frame, the cam lever 15 carrying a roller 18., A pair of adjacently positioned cams 16 and 17 is carried by the cam shaft a: and the roller18 carried by the cam lever 15 is maintained in engagement with either of said cams 16 or 17- by means of the spring 15?). The roller 18 is slidably and rotatably mounted on a stud fixedto the lever 15 and is shifted by means of a fork 19 fastened to the rod 20 which in turn is shifted by means of a second row of buttons on a pattern chain. The cam 16 is provided with a projection by means of which the upper rack 8 is engaged with the rachet wheel 6, whereas at the corresponding position of cam 17 there is a recess to bring the lower rack portion 8" into engagement with the ratchet wheel 6. The length of these projections and recesses is so chosen that the racks just-before transferring and engages either the second projection or recess, depending on which cam'roller 18 rides'upon.

The operation of the deviceis as follows: To begin lacing, the roller 18 and stepped stop 12 synchronized with the pattern chain are set for the first dip. WVhen the parts are so related, the roller 18 will ride on either cam 16 or 17 depending in which direction the lace point is to be traversed. If the cam-16 is engaged, the rack portion 8 will be enga ed with the ratchet wheel 6, and if cam 1 is engaged, the rack portion 8" will engage the ratchet wheel 6. As the 4 rack engages the ratchet wheel.6, the recess 11 on the cam 11 permits the spring .to pull the lever 10 against a step of the stop 12 as selected by a button on the pattern chain, thus eifecting the traverse of the nut '7 engaging the spindle to either the right or left a distance correspondlng to the depth of the step on the stop 12. As the nut 7 engages the lace rod 3, which in turn carries the lace points 10:, the latter are positioned over the needles which are to be manipulated. The racks are then disengaged from the ratchet wheel 6 as the roller 18 rides on the; outer edge-of cam parts 16 and 17 and returns disengaged to a startingposition as the roller 10b rides on the outer part of the cam 11. During this disengagement and the return of the racks, the covering or narrowing shaft 5 is caused to dip with the result that the lace points engage and remove the loops from desired needles, and ascend sufficiently to permit their transferlaterally without, interference as is well-unglerstood. Immediately prior to transferring, the roller 18 is again shifted by means of a but-ton on the pattern chain to ride on eithercam 16 or 17 which brings into operation either the upper rack portion 8 or the lower rack portion 8", depending on whether loops are to' be transferred to the right or left adjacent group of needles and then, by means of the recess 11" of the cam 11, the rack 8 is given a forward push to turn the spindle sufficiently so that the nut thereon is traversed a distance of one or more needles, depending on the extent of the transfer. In the event that the design is such that the space between the two lace holes in one course is greater than the maximum stroke of the rack during one lacking cycle, it is possible by two or'more false lacing cycles (dipping, removing loop, but replacing loops on same .needle without transferring) to effect such extreme operating positions of lacing points.

From the above detailed descript on of the invention, it is believed that the construction and operation thereof will at once be apparent, and while there is herein shown,

and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is nevertheless to be understood, that minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim: l 1. In a fiat knitting machine, a pattern position andtransferring device for efiecting lace work designs comprising in combii1- ation, a threaded spindle, a nut working on the threaded portion of the spindle, a supporting arm connected tothe nut, a lace rod to which the supporting arm is attached, a ratchet wheel on said spindle, .a double rack adapted to intermittently mesh with either side of said ratchet to effect a lateral shifting of said nut and said lace rod, a cam shaft parallel with the spindle, a cam on said shaft, a tensioned lever pivoted on the machine and carrying a roller working on X the threaded portion of the spindle, a sup porting arm connected to the nut, a lace rod to which the supporting arm is attached, a

ratchet wheel onthe spindle, a double rack intermittentlyengageable with the ratchet wheel, cam operated means for eflecting re ciprocation of the double rack, cam operated means for intermittently bringing one of said racks into meshing engagement with the ratchet wheel and a; stepped stop cooperatingwith the means for efi'ecting reciprocation of the double rack to control the length of reciprocation.

KARI. RICHARD UEBERKNECHT. 

